Is CT data reconstruction too slow? Bitmap technology to obtain 3D data of the brain within 1 hour

There are more and more applications of 3D printing technology in the medical field. However, there are still many technical pain points that have not been solved. For example, 3D printed model data can be obtained from 3D reconstruction of CT data. This process is still relatively long and affects the progress of the operation. On June 1, 2018, 3D Tiger learned from foreign media that researchers at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology proposed a simple method to extract fine humans that can be 3D printed in less than an hour. Brain model.

In theory, medical imaging techniques such as MRI and CT scans are capable of producing high resolution images and can be printed out using a 3D printer. However, MIT graduate Steven Keating found that when he had to surgically remove a baseball-sized tumor and wanted to examine his brain, the existing method was too time consuming, cumbersome, and failed to accurately reveal important features. Keating works with experts to develop a new technology that enables MRI and CT scan images to be quickly converted to physical models with unprecedented detail.

The new approach provides a fast and highly accurate way to convert complex images into formats that are easy to 3D print. The key is to use a jitter bitmap for printing, which is a digital file format in which each pixel of a grayscale image is converted into a series of black and white pixels, while the density of black pixels is defined by different grayscales instead of pixels. The color itself is different. Similar to the image in a black and white news newspaper, black ink dots of different sizes are used to convey the shadow, and the more black pixels that exist in a given area, the darker. By simplifying all pixels from various shades of gray to a mixture of black or white pixels, the jitter bitmap allows the 3D printer to print complex medical images using two different materials to preserve the original data with greater precision and speed. All subtle changes.

The researchers used bitmap-based 3D printing to create Keating's brain and tumor models that faithfully preserved all levels of detail present in the original MRI data until the resolution is distinguishable from the human eye. Using this same method, they were able to print a variable stiffness model of the human heart valve using different materials to create a model with a mechanical gradient that would allow for a better understanding of the actual effects of plaque on valve function.

Weaver said: "Our approach not only preserves high levels of detail and can be used for 3D printed medical models, but it also saves a lot of time and money. For example, manually segmenting CT scan data of a healthy human foot, including all its internals. Skeletal structure, bone marrow, tendons, muscles, soft tissues and skin all take more than 30 hours, even for highly trained professionals, and we can do it in less than an hour."

Ahmed Hosny holds Steven Keating's tumor model, Steven Keating holds his own skull model, and James Weaver holds Keating's MRI scan model.

Researchers hope their methods can help 3D printing become a more practical tool for routine examination and diagnosis, and patient education. “Now, for hospitals, hiring a team of experts to manually segment 3D printed image data, unless it is an extremely high-risk case, is too costly for the hospital, and we hope to change that.” Wyss Institute Researcher Ahmed Hosny said.

“I think, at some point in the next five years, any patient who has a CT or MRI scan can get their 3D printed model in a few days,” Weaver said.

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